The Covenant is in action all over the country.
Carolyn Ford, North Florida Educational Development Corporation (NFEDC)
www.ruralisc.org/nfedc.htmWe adapted Tavis Smiley’s Covenant for the state of Florida…I have been working in poverty for a long time and know how to eradicate it. The only way you’re going to do it is by doing two things: business development and housing development. It’s all about asset building!’
NFEDC is a grassroots community based organization established in 1986. NFEDC’s mission is to empower individuals and families in Gadsden County, Florida to become more self-determined, self-sufficient and self-sustaining. To achieve its mission NFEDC coordinates education programs, job training and job development opportunities, hunger relief, affordable housing and community development initiatives. NFEDC requires that fifty percent of its board be low-income residents by law.
NFEDC is located in the rural panhandle of North Florida bordering the Florida-Georgia line. The area has a population of 41,105 and a poverty rate of 28%. Historically, the residents of Gadsden County depended on a strong agricultural base to sustain their economic well-being. In 1965, the tobacco industry provided work for approximately 18,000 people. The number of people employed on farms in the county decreased by one-half from 1978 to 1985. No other industry has replaced tobacco as the backbone of Gadsden County’s economy.
